Dumb (אַלֵּם, illem; but in Hab 2:9, דּוּמָם, silent; Gr. κωφός, which also signifies deaf, since the two defects generally accompany each other; also ἄλαλος, speechless, Mr 7:37; Mr 9:17,25; ἄφωνος, voiceless, Ac 8:32; 1Co 12:2; 2Pe 2:16; and σιωπῶν, Lu 1:20), has the following significations:
(1.) One unable to speak by reason of natural infirmity (Ex 4:11).
(2.) One unable to speak by reason of want of knowing what to say, or how to say it; what proper mode of address to use, or what reasons to allege in his own behalf (Pr 31:8).
(3.) One unwilling to speak (Ps 39:9). We have a remarkable instance of this venerating dumbness, or silence, in the case of Aaron (Le 10:3), after Nadab and Abihu, his sons, were consumed by fire. "Aaron held his peace;" did not exclaim against the justice of God, I but saw the propriety of the divine procedure, and humbly acquiesced in it. Christ restored a man who was dumb from daemoniacal influence (Mt 9:32-33; Lu 11:14), and another who was both blind and dumb from the same cause (Mt 12:22). The man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech (Mr 7:32-35), whom Christ restored, was not dumb, nor probably deaf by nature, but was one who had a natural impediment to enunciation, or who, having early lost his hearing, gradually lost much of his speech, and had become a stammerer. Such an impediment is either natural, arising from what is called a bos, or ulcer, by which any one is, as we say, tongue-tied, or brought on when, from an early loss of hearing, the membrane of the tongue becomes rigid and unable to perform its office. SEE DEAF; SEE SILENCE.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More